Over the years, there have been significant changes in enhancing productivity and sustainability in the manufacturing sector. Such kinds of studies are used to examine the various ways in which organizations can improve their level of productivity through the use of sustainable measures. The analysis is undertaken through undertaking manufacturing research and analysis. Through such research and analysis, it is easy to interpret the information obtained to understand the underlying issues influencing the organization’s success and provide measures that can be used to enhance its sustainability.
Productivity
Manufacturing productivity is defined as the output ratio to the inputs injected in the production process. Research on the aspect shows how a company can influence its production based on the amount of input injected, and it mainly emphasizes the quantity of the products produced (Stundziene & Saboniene, 2019). An organization’s main inputs are labor in terms of working hours, capital, and the different natural resources that are basic for the organization to produce a product unit (Stundziene & Saboniene, 2019). Due to the nature of activities linked to the productivity of the organization. In enhancing productivity among the staff working, organizations have adopted numerous approaches that effectively make the organization run smoothly and productively.
Researchers have identified numerous trends maintained by most manufacturing industries in recent years. One of the main trends includes adopting artificial intelligence in the manufacturing process. Since the organization’s management is continuously changing, members of Generation Z take critical roles in the manufacturing process (Hall, 2020). Since the generation is highly digitalized, the management of the production processes involves a highly computerized system that automatically checks the number of inputs injected in the production process controlling the level of information used in the production process and controlling the desired output. In addition, adaptability is another trend experienced in the production process. It has enabled the organizations to cope with the various changes like the emergence of Covid-19, which made most organizations be able to continue with their productivity irrespective of the changing economic conditions (Hall, 2020). The inclusion of generation Z in the workplace is another trend experienced as individuals have to put up with their traits.
Consumer good application
The table provides information about a good consumer application and its changes in the pasts six months. Residential utilities are the assigned consumer good which has experienced an almost constant production in the past six months. Both the estimate and the total index are almost the same, with a small margin of advancement. The highest index was recorded at 113.9 in February 2022 after seasonal adjustment, and the lowest index was recorded at 98.0 in December 2021 (Federal Reserve, 2022). Across the six months, the production of the product has experienced continuous changes, which is inconsistent.
During the six months, the residential utilities experienced a low growth rate. However, slightly higher than other products since most people remained indoors due to the fear caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The virus decreased economic activities across the globe as most individuals were focused on maintaining safety and recovering from the previous year linked to lockdowns. (Federal Reserve, 2022) This aspect made the industry experience a much higher index. Most people were indoors, avoiding public places. Consumer good has a slower growth rate than other industries like the food, tobacco products, and beverage industries, which recorded significant changes as they are essential to the consumers. The product is essential; that is why it recorded a higher index in the past six months.
Industrial/Business Good Application
The table provides information about commercial energy products and the various changes recorded in the last six months. In the past six months, the development of the product experienced an insignificant change, a range of 7.3 in the index, even though the index has been evenly distributed in the past six months (Federal Reserve, 2022). The industry is also perceived to experience a low growth rate as the industries had low activities since the pandemic made people shift to working from home to avoid contracting the coronavirus. In this case, the industry did not experience many activities that would make the index high as it is lower than the residential utilities. Individually, the industry has not changed drastically over the past six months, meaning that the activities were well regulated. The highest index is recorded in April 2022, meaning that commercial activities had started to resume due to the containment of the virus and the presence of the vaccines. Such a trend can only be explained by the economic activities experienced in the past six months resulting from the economic changes and containment measures to deal with the pandemic.
Sustainability
Sustainability in manufacturing is perceived as developing manufactured products under economically rational processes that regulate the negative environmental impacts. Sustainability aims to enhance the production of goods and services and maintain energy conservation and all-natural resources. Maintenance of sustainable working practices also enhances the safety of the employees, product, and community (Abubakr et al., 2020). In recent years, businesses have been adopting the concept of sustainability as a critical aspect of their operations and strategy. In the process, the companies pursue sustainability for numerous reasons. The reasons include operational efficiency, cost and waste reduction, consumer attraction, protection of brand reputation, consumer trust, long-term viability and success, and regulatory opportunities and constraints. Such factors push most products to be highly trusted and bring an excellent reputation to their consumers. Research shows that sustainability is a concept that most companies and industries have adopted, irrespective of their size or reputation (Ebrahim et al., 2019). The process is highly important as it has enabled most companies to enhance their performance and regulate their resources.
In addition, most companies and industries address the issue of sustainability as a formal, coordinated and integrated aspect that is considered part of the organization. The concept has also enhanced the focus of the level of competitiveness as it makes companies focus on the maintenance of competitive advantage (Ebrahim et al., 2019). Other organizations use innovation, strategic analysis, and scenario planning. Also, others have integrated sustainability into their business functions, enabling them to focus on long-term goals. Adopting sustainability as part of the organizational strategy has played a critical role in bringing different stakeholders together. The concept has enabled organizations to check their activities and ensure that they do not adversely affect people and the environment (Abubakr et al., 2020). Therefore, making a sustainability routine in everyday organizational activities has also enabled businesses to maintain high standards of ethics, which check the behaviors maintained by the staff and the entire organization when interacting with other organizations.
References
Abubakr, M., Abbas, A. T., Tomaz, I., Soliman, M. S., Luqman, M., & Hegab, H. (2020). Sustainable and smart manufacturing: An integrated approach. Sustainability, 12(6), 2280.
Ebrahim, Z., Ahmad, N. A., & Muhamad, M. R. (2019). A model for manufacturing sustainability in manufacturing operations. International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering (IJRTE) ISSN, 2277-3878.
Federalreserve. (2022). The Fed – Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization – G.17. Federalreserve.gov.
Hall, J. (2020). 5 Productivity trends that are taking the lead right now. Forbes. Web.
Stundziene, A., & Saboniene, A. (2019). Tangible investment and labor productivity: Evidence from European manufacturing. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, 32(1), 3519-3537.